Firefighters are Community Helpers

A firefighter is a community helper who protects people from fire and keeps them safe. Firefighters work for the fire department and can help us in many ways by putting out fires, teaching people to prevent fires, rescuing people from fires, and responding to medical emergencies. Firefighters must wear special clothes and equipment to keep them safe from fire. They wear special protective coats, gloves, pants, hoods, and boots. They also wear protective helmets, use an alarm device to signal for help if they are in trouble, and use special breathing apparatus to allow them to breathe when they go into a fire or a place filled with smoke.

This interactive 2-minute video can be used to introduce the lesson if the suggested book is unavailable.

This 3-minute video helps children understand that a firefighter’s gear might look and sound scary but there is a community helper underneath. The video is useful to supplement the discussion in the body of the lesson. It can also be used to close or extend the lesson.